Greek artists sculpted Cain killing Abel in the center of the south side of the Parthenon when it was built in Athens in 432 BC. But in 1687, the explosion of a store of arms inside the temple destroyed these revealing sculptures.

In the third panel, Abel is depicted as being in the field, his horses startled by an approaching figure. In the fourth panel, Cain kills Abel. This is Greek narrative art at its most revealing.

In the first panel, Cain, the taller and older brother, speaks with Abel. In the second panel, Cain argues with his wife over a sacrifice—the point at issue between the brothers in Genesis 4:3-5. From the Greek standpoint, the dispute with Abel caused problems within Cain’s family.

Looking at the south side of the Parthenon in the modern era.

Fortunately for us, a French artist, Jacques Carrey, had sketched many of the destroyed Parthenon sculptures, including these four panels, or metopes, nine years before the explosion.